Many pathogens produce toxins which are detrimental, and in some cases, lethal, to the host organism. Toxins produced by pathogens can be secreted, or excreted from pathogenic organisms (e.g., "exotoxins") or toxic structural elements of pathogenic organisms (e.g., "endotoxins," or toxin structural proteins).
Exotoxins are generally proteins or polypeptides. These toxins, which are secreted by the pathogen, can travel within the host and cause damage in regions of the host far removed from the infection site. Symptoms associated with exotoxins vary greatly and include hemolysis, systemic shock, destruction of leukocytes, vomiting, paralysis and diarrhea.
Enterotoxins are exotoxins which act on the small intestine and cause massive secretion of fluid into the intestinal lumen, leading to diarrhea. Enterotoxins are produced by a variety of bacteria and viruses, including the food-poisoning organisms Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Bacillus cereus, and the intestinal pathogens Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enteritidis.
Endotoxins are lipopolysaccharides/lipoproteins found in the outer layer of the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria. These lipopolysaccharides are bound to the cell membrane and are released upon cytolysis. Symptoms associated with the release of endotoxins include fever, diarrhea and vomiting. Specifically, endotoxins stimulate host cells to release proteins, endogenous pyrogens, which affect the area of the brain which regulates body temperature. In addition to fever, diarrhea and vomiting, the host animal may experience a rapid decrease in lymphocyte, leukocyte, and platelet numbers, and enter into a general inflammatory state.
Although endotoxins arc less toxic than exotoxins, large doses of endotoxins can cause death, generally through hemorrhagic shock and tissue necrosis. Examples of bacteria which produce endotoxins include the genera Escherichia, Shigella, and especially Salmonella.
In some cases, the active disease caused by an exotoxin can be treated by administering an antitoxin to the patient. An antitoxin comprises antibodies to the toxin derived from the serum of an animal, typically a horse, which has been immunized by injection of a toxoid, a nontoxic derivative of the toxin. However, the effectiveness of antitoxins is limited because toxins are rapidly taken up by cells and become unavailable to the antibodies. Furthermore, the patient's immune system can respond to foreign proteins present in the antitoxin, creating a condition known as serum sickness.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved method of treating toxins which significantly reduces or eliminates the above-mentioned problems.